Two years on from the start of the active fighting in Ukraine we have been able to respond with 52 trucks, articulated and 7.5 tonne trucks, of humanitarian aid. We have delivered mattresses and bedding (via our partnership with Whitbread/Premier Inn), toiletries, food, medical supplies, household items, water bowsers/trailers, portable generators and significant donations from both corporates and individuals.
Initially our aid was distributed from our partners in Poland, Slovakia, and Moldova but now we also have a key partner in Kyiv, Ukraine on Palms, for immediate and direct distribution across the region. We have been fortunate in 2023 to donate our truck 'Frantic' for the UOP to use inside Ukraine for deliveries along with contributing funds towards the operational running costs.
There are many thousands of people stranded in areas affected by active fighting. Most displaced and vulnerable people reside in the east, southeast and Kyiv. So many people will just have nowhere to go back to. They currently live in temporary accommodation using shelters and municipal buildings. The aid delivered also includes schools, hospitals and health centres.
The number of fatalities and injured is unknown., there are figures quoted but no one knows the true number. The situation continues to change from one area to another. What is very evident is the number of Ukrainian people who now have refugee status. A quarterly humanitarian access update has been compiled by ACAPS.
Many charities along with individuals have collected aid and donations and send trucks. At Hope and Aid Direct we aim to ensure that all aid that we take or send to the people of Ukraine is needed. So often well-intentioned aid, mainly clothes delivered in black plastic bags, is simply not required and will only add to the issues rather than help. There are currently people on the borders taking clothes back from these locations and moving them to Lebanon or Calais.
We have long term relationships with many aid agency partners and their knowledge on the ground is crucial in providing us with a specific needs list which we can then gather, sort, load into our trucks and deliver direct to those who most need help. This list is regularly changing and is updated to suit the needs at the time.
Our focus is on both speed and need; how quickly we can be effective and work with our agency contacts. This crisis is not going to end soon. We know we will need to support people for many years and that this will be one of the most challenging tasks.
We have given hope and aid for twenty-five years and know what needs to be done and how best to achieve this given the complex border controls and logistics to be covered. We always need money to source particular aid items and to fuel the trucks for our volunteer drivers to make the long and sometimes challenging distributions possible. Please help and DONATE now to allow us to continue this work. Monthly recurring payments are very valuable and where applicable please make sure you check the gift aid box.
BY HELPING US WE CAN HELP OTHERS.
